Between the Eyes
by Lady Cobweb
Summary: The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Author's Note:** Yes everybody, this is an OC story. Trust me though you'll probably like her. My beta is a purist, but she loved this character, so hopefully you will too. I want to thank Bunny, you know who you are. Without you I never would have finished this story. I dedicate this fanfic to you, you deserve it. I mean what would I have called this thing anyway? The title is yours Bunny. Love you funnybunny!

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Chap. 1**

"Elle! Stop picking on the younger children!" screamed Mrs. Mullroy up the stairs. Elle stopped in mid fling, a young boy named Geoffrey clasped firmly in her hand.

"But, he broke my favorite CD. And he took away the CD player! My turn isn't over for another ten minutes!" shouted Elle down the stairs. She looked at the little monster, his shirt scrunched up under his neck where she still held him two feet above the ground. He smirked at her; they both knew who was getting in trouble.

"Elle you are almost nineteen!" Elle let go of Geoffrey who took off like a shot just as Mrs. Mullroy walked in through the door. "Elle, you should know better." The austere older woman put a hand on Elle's shoulder, and steered her towards the small desk chair. Elle sank down into it and put her head in her hands. "But you just don't understand," sighed Elle.

Mrs. Mullroy also heaved a sigh and sat down on the edge of Elle's little bed. Little actually isn't an adequate enough word to describe what really resembled more of a crib. Elle had outgrown it almost ten years ago, but money was too tight to replace it. Money was always too tight around here. "No Elle, I don't think I can ever understand what it's like for you. But, you must grow up. You know that we were bound by the law to help you through high school, and so we did. But you've been out of school for almost a month now, and you know you can't stay here forever. Elle, I think it's time for you to move out." Mrs. Mullroy got up briskly and moved towards the door. "Mr. Mullroy and I will help you look for an apartment tomorrow."

The older woman shut the door behind her, frowning as she left. Elle listened as the footsteps died away. _So that's it then,_ she thought angrily to herself. _They're just going to kick me out!_ Hot tears of anger and disappointment welled at her eyes and her chin started to quiver. _I just knew I couldn't trust anyone!_ With that, she threw notebook and pencils into a small canvas bag she'd patched at least three times and ran down the stairs and out the front door, her cloud of frizzy red hair billowing around her wildly. "I'm going to the library!" she screamed as she slammed the front door shut.

The library was the only place where Elle could really be free; free from that horrible house, of the life that would give anyone else nightmares, free from reality. In the library, she could read about other countries and other worlds far from hers, of people who triumphed over evil and found true happiness. Or she would sit in one of the forgotten desks and draw whatever she was feeling. Her tatty old sketchbook was filled to the brim with pictures and portraits of characters from her favorite stories, or little short stories and poems. Sadly all of the pictures were in black and white; there just wasn't enough money for colored pencils or markers.

Though she'd taken her sketchbook with her, today Elle felt like reading, to escape this awful reality that she didn't want to face. She jumped the last few steps up to the giant front door of the old Victorian building. It had been a house once, a very large house. But when the old widow who'd lived there for at least seventy years had passed away a few years ago, it had been turned into a small library. Apparently it was in the old woman's will that her house should become a library, and that all of her books should be added to the collection.

The Sarah Adams Memorial Library couldn't even come close in size to rivaling the giant city library that Elle used to visit, but somehow this one was better, more intimate, almost . . . magical. Some people thought the house was haunted, sometimes people could hear a party going on in one of the larger rooms, but when they looked there'd be no one else there.

Elle browsed along the shelves of books in what must've been a parlor at one point. This was the classics section. "Chaucer . . . Dickens . . . Emerson . . ." Elle murmured to herself as she brushed her fingers along the spines of the old books, until, " . . . What's this?" she picked up a small, old, battered looking book. It was very thin, and the gold lettering on the front of the red leather cover had been rubbed away almost completely, making it very difficult to read the title. "The Lari . . . no, um The Labi . . . The Labyr . . . The Labyrinth!" she struggled, then finally pronounced with pride the title of the book. The librarian at the front desk in the entry hall put her finger to her lips and shushed Elle.

Elle took the book up the winding stairs to her favorite spot. It was the tallest alcove room. Most people thought it was part of the storage attic, but on careful investigation Elle found that it had a little desk in the middle of it and contained only a few relics. One of them was a mirror, a large mirror that looked like it should have belonged on a vanity. It used to hang in a hallway downstairs but the librarians had removed it after many patrons claimed to have seen a large best, or a small wrinkled old man in it. Elle sat next to the mirror frequently after it had been placed up in her "secret room" as she liked to call it and had only seen something in it once. Though, she was very sure that she had just imagined that little fox with an eye patch; that he had just been refracted light. Still . . .

Regardless of whether the house or mirror was haunted or not, this was Elle's favorite place in the world. Elle opened the curtains to let the afternoon light in and sat down at the old rickety desk to read the unusual little book. On the inside cover was a name; it was hard to make out for age had made it fade a little. "Sarah Williams . . ." thought Elle aloud. _I wonder if that was her maiden name._

Elle read and read until the light coming through the window became a glowing orange color. It was getting late, but she didn't want to leave yet, she was still far too upset to leave. How could that girl turn him down? After everything he'd done for her? It just didn't make any sense. _I know what it's like to feel unwanted. Nobody wants me. _"Nobody wants me either," she said softly to herself. The tears she had managed to hold back earlier came flooding back to her. "I wish . . . I wish . . ." she sobbed. It was so hard to speak, her throat hurt and her nose was running from crying. "I wish the goblins would take me away. Right now!" she cried as she threw the book down in disgust and put her head in her arms to cry some more.

Drafts were common in old houses, especially this one, but the breeze that ran through the room was much too strong to be a normal draft. Elle lifted her head up to see the curtains on the window flap crazily and the cover of the little red book on the floor blow open, the pages turning all the way to the last page. There was only one line on the last page, 'You have no power over me!' The window blew open, and in swooped a large barn owl. It whizzed around the room violently and Elle covered her head with her arms just in case the bird accidentally cut her with his sharp talons. The wind that had been so strong a moment ago died down and the sound of flapping wings disappeared. Elle looked up, expecting the owl to be gone and the room back to normal. She had not expected what stood before her now. Not for the whole world would she have ever expected it.

"You're him aren't you? You're the Goblin King!"

There, in all his glory stood the Goblin King. His attire was dark and mysterious, his long, thin cloak, billowing around him. He crossed his arms nonchalantly and quirked a very strangely shaped eyebrow. "How very observant of you," he said mockingly, a smirk stretching across his face. He stepped towards Elle, towering over her, his slightly pointed teeth bared in a wolfish grin.

She stepped backwards to match his own advance and found that she had backed right into the old mirror. His gaze alighted on the mirror briefly, looked at her once more, then his eyes widened in disbelief. He looked back at the mirror, utterly shocked. It almost appeared as if he'd seen a ghost. _Well, in this house, maybe he did_, Elle thought to herself.

"How did that get here I wonder?" the Goblin King muttered to himself. A glazed and sad look washed over his face, "I wonder . . . is she here? . . ." He looked up suddenly and walked over to a shelf with objects on it that Elle had never really paid attention to. The Goblin King reached out a gloved hand and picked up a small red toy. It was a ragged and strange little creature with long limbs and a pointy nose. It appeared as though it had seen a lot of play in its time.

The Goblin King held the little toy close as he looked around the room again, taking in all of the little trinkets that littered the room. Everything was covered in at least an inch's worth of dust. "No . . . she cannot be here," he said once again to himself.

"Who can't be here?" asked Elle quietly. The Goblin King jumped slightly; apparently he had forgotten Elle was even in the room. He spun around quickly, tucking the little toy in a pocket, and glared at Elle. Elle was used to glaring so she glared back at him, her grey eyes narrowed in one of her more evil stares. The Goblin King seemed to find this amusing, for he smirked at her again and chuckled sinisterly.

"Not afraid of me then, are you?" he asked in a smooth voice. Elle shook her head. The Goblin King advanced on her until his face was only scant centimeters from her. Elle knew that if she were to look away from him, it would only let him know that he really did intimidate her. He looked square in her eyes and grinned. _I thought he was taller than me!_ thought Elle, _He towered over me, but . . . _She didn't get a chance to finish that thought, for he had begun to speak again.

"I believe that you are the first one to ever wish herself away, rather than wishing someone else away." The Goblin King stepped away from Elle now, his arms crossed over his chest in a menacing way. Elle looked around and realized that she was no longer standing in her favorite reading spot, but on a barren hill. She turned around and there, sprawling as far as she could see, was the most awesome structure she'd ever seen in her life. The Labyrinth.

**Author's Note:** Alright everybody, you know the drill! points to the little button on the left Oh and Elle is mine, if you steal her I shall hunt you down like a wild beast! M'kay, love you all!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Author's Note: **So everybody, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I mean, I loved Sarah and all, but she blew it. It's Elle's turn now, and she's gonna kick things up a notch. Bam!

**Chap. 2**

While reading the story Elle had never imagined anything as grand as the structure she was in now. She stopped walking and looked left and right. No, nothing had changed; it was still a long straight chasm that seemed to go on forever in each direction.

"How am I gonna get outta here?" she sighed to herself exasperatedly. Elle fell against the wall and slid down to the ground, the last hour of her life playing over again in her mind. He had offered her thirteen hours to solve his labyrinth, to what ends . . . she didn't know.

"_Why did you wish yourself away?"_

"_I don't know. Just tired of the lie I live." _

_He stood behind her, his face close to hers, his breath warm on her ear. "Solve my labyrinth in thirteen hours, and I'll give you a new life, far away from the lies in any land of your choosing. Lose and you'll end up exactly where you were." He swiftly turned her to face him, "alone, in a world of anger and deception," he looked away briefly. She was sure he didn't mean her to hear it but she did nonetheless. "Just like me."_

Then there was that strange little man outside of the labyrinth. He'd been so aloof, and grumpy.

"_How do I get into the labyrinth?"_

"_Well, well, well, no one's ever asked the right question on their first try before. 'She' didn't even get it on the first try . . ." He set down the spray can, and dusted his small, wrinkled hands. He shuffled towards the giant labyrinth's wall, kicking a small faerie's corpse under a bush. She followed him as he waved his arm before the wall, revealing a large pair of doors that she hadn't seen before. "you gets in . . .there." she walked forward and heaved on the doors. They opened inward with a deep graunching noise. "You really goin in there, are you?" _

"_Yes." The little man laughed ruefully at her. She looked over her shoulder as he walked away shaking his head, picking up his spray can and blasting an unwary faerie as he passed._

Elle looked around at the fallen tree branches, debris, and a strange eye-lichen that littered the ground and walls. "Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?" She asked herself as she put her face in her hands trying to take a deep breath. It was all too overwhelming.

"Allo!" came a small voice to her right. Elle looked at the ground next to her, but there was nothing there. "Ahemm!" She looked back at the wall, and there, sitting on a jutted brick was a small, blue worm. He was no normal worm, quite fuzzy, and he appeared to be wearing a bright red scarf.

"Did you just say 'hello'?"

"No, I said 'allo!' but that's close enough!" Elle laughed a little nervously at his obvious joke. He chuckled in return.

"You're a worm, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's right," he chuckled jovially.

"Do you know the way through this labyrinth?" asked Elle desperately. She looked down at the little worm. He looked back up at her sadly, "Naw. I'm just a worm."

"Oh.".

The little worm took a deep breath and said in a cheerful voice, "Come inside and meet the Missus." Elle looked down at the little worm and smiled. "No, thank you," the little worm looked down dejectedly, "But I have to solve this labyrinth, and there aren't any turns or openings . . . it just goes on and on!"

"What?! It's full of openins! It's just you ain't seein 'em." Elle looked up surprised. She whipped her head quickly from left to right, expecting a doorway to have appeared out of nowhere just like the entrance. But there was nothing there. "Where are they?"

"There's one right in front of ya." She looked up but there was still nothing there. "No, there isn't." The little worm tried to get her attention, and puffed himself up proudly. "Come inside and have a nice cuppa tea." Elle shook her head still staring at the wall across from her.

"But there isn't an opening."

"O'course there is," he chuckled again. This appeared to be one happy worm. "Try walkin' through it, you'll see what I mean."

"What?"

"Go on, then!" Elle stood up warily walking towards the wall. "That's just a wall. There's no way through." She looked back at the worm who was sporting a very knowing gaze. "Things aren't always what they seem in this place," Elle looked back at the wall, seemingly intact with moss upon it, and eye-lichen staring at her almost expectantly. "So you can't take anythin for granted." Elle walked forward, her hands held out in front of her, to block the inevitable firmness of the wall before her. But it didn't come. "Hey!"

Elle smiled and walked forward, looking left and right down the new paths that had magically appeared behind the seemingly solid wall. She began to walk left immediately. Elle was left-handed and tended to choose the left direction whenever she walked anywhere. The little worm noted her direction and piped up once again, "Hey! Hang on!"

Elle looked back at her little friend, smiling brightly, "Thank you. That was incredibly helpful!" she began to turn left again when the worm called, "But don't go that way!" she looked over her shoulder at the worm, he was shaking his head emphatically. "What was that?" she asked, a frown knitting between her brows. "Don't go that way. Never go that way." He shook his head again.

"Why?" she asked, a little confused. The worm looked at her, his mouth hanging open, a shocked expression on his face. He seemed utterly shocked by her question. "What's wrong?" she asked.

The little worm blinked his eyes a few times then shook his head, trying to get rid of the shocked expression that was still on his face. "W-well, none's ever asked 'why?' before. When 'She' ran the labyrinth, 'She' didn't ask why. 'She' just went the other way." Elle walked over to kneel before the little worm again. He was still shaking his head, his mouth open wide, looking very much like a fish.

"You're face will get stuck like that if you're not careful," she said. She quirked her eyebrow and grinned at her little friend. He recovered himself and chuckled at her. "Now tell me why I shouldn't go down that way."

"Well pretty miss, if ya'd a kept on goin down that way, you'd a gone straight to that castle." He smiled at her. This time it was Elle's turn to drop her jaw like a codfish. "W-what did you say?" she stammered. "But you said that you didn't know the way through the labyrinth!"

The worm blinked up at her, "But I don't. I just know that if ya take the left, you'll get to that horrible castle. That can't be where you're headed . . . Is it?" Elle slapped her forehead with her hand, dragged it down her face, trying to keep herself from laughing.

"Actually that's _exactly_ where I'm headed." She looked at the worm, who appeared to be even more shocked than before. "B-b-but that's where HE lives," Elle nodded at the little worm. The little worm fell over, his eyes shut tight. Elle stuck her hand out quickly to catch her little friend before he fell to the ground. A fall like that for such a little guy probably would have been catastrophic. The little worm recovered himself quickly and looked up into Elle's face.

"You actually want to go to the castle?" he looked stricken when she nodded her head again. "Well then I'll be comin with ya then!" He raised himself up as tall as he could and puffed his chest out bravely. "Oh, uh . . . sir, you don't have to do that I can . . ." but the little worm just turned around and yelled at the opening in the stone wall. "Missus!" he cried, his voice suddenly much louder. He took a deep breath and tried again, "MISSUS!!!"

Out from the little hole, crawled a very pretty little worm. She was a bit smaller than her husband and a deep purple color, rather than blue. She boasted a frilly little shawl that looked homemade across where her shoulders would have been, had she any arms. "What's it ya want then, Sir?" she said in a bright voice. The other little worm, who appeared to be called "Sir" had already begun crawling up Elle's arm towards her shoulder. "This fine young lady here is on her way to that king of ours' castle. An I thought, as I'm a gentleman, that I should be acommpanin' her on her journey." The Missus' eyes grew wide as saucers as she looked from her husband to Elle and back again.

"But Sir, you could be . . . SQUISHED!!!" her last exclamation came out as a very high squeak. Sir looked down at his wife and said in a very hoarse voice, "I know, but seein' as how this young lady's gonna get herself into quite a lot o'trouble, I thought it only best to go with her and . . . uh . . . protect her," he finished lamely. It appeared that Missus was about to cry, so Elle decided she should look away. She felt the little worm start to crawl back down her arm towards his wife. "Well then come here and give us a kiss," said the Missus, sounding a little more than watery. Elle heard a loud "smack!" and felt the worm climb up her arm again. Sir had decided to settle just underneath her ear on her left shoulder.

Elle turned back towards the Missus and said in as bracingly a tone as possible, "Don't worry Missus, I'll make sure he'll come home safe and sound." The Missus looked up into Elle's face and smiled warmly. She nodded her head and turned to crawl back through the hole in the wall that appeared to be their home. Elle stood up and walked over to the hidden hole on the wall once more. This time Elle decided that she would turn right.

Sir looked over his shoulder at the path that would take them to the castle lickety split, as it grew smaller and smaller. "Uhh, dear you're goin the wrong way." Elle stopped walking, shook her head and stretched her neck so that she could look at the little worm perched on her shoulder. "No I know that this doesn't take me straight to the castle." Sir blinked up at her, confused. "I want to solve this labyrinth by my own wits. I want to prove that I can do it. So I'm not taking the easy way out, as it were. I want to prove it to myself, that I have what it takes to beat him," she said proudly. "I want to EARN my new home." The little worm shook his head slightly in what appeared to be shrugging action, since he lacked the shoulders to shrug properly. With that she continued down the path towards the unknown journey that awaited her.

**Author's Note:** Hey everybody, thanks for all your support. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Don't worry, it picks up a little faster in the next chapters if it seems a little slow. Now on to the thanks . . .

**Lark Ewoods:** You silly thing . . .your ARE my beta. DUH hahahahaha. Thanks for your support bunny.

**KateValentine:** I'm glad you like her, it's nice to know that there are people out there who enjoy Other Chick stories, hahahaha.

**notwritten:** Thanks : )


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Author's Note:** I'm getting the feeling that some of you don't understand why I'm using the original movie transcript in the story. It's not because I can't think of anything for Elle to say, on the contrary Elle has quite a personality that likes to speak for itself. I'm using the transcript as a form of character development. Elle's presented with the EXACT same situations, it's part of running the Labyrinth, yet she makes different choices. Sometimes her choices don't affect her path, as you shall see in this chapter. Elle reacts differently than Sarah did, there's a reason for that. If you don't like the way I'm writing the story, then don't have to read it. But please only leave positive or constructive criticism.

**Chap.3**

Elle stood staring at a fork in the path, hands braced on her hips looking forward and to the right. Both passages appeared to be exactly alike except about twenty feet down the passage or her right looked like it turned rather sharply while one right in front of her had looked like it was a dead end. Elle reached into her pocket and pulled out a marker. It was small and starting to die, she had planned on throwing it out but it would serve this purpose rather nicely. She stopped low to the ground, careful not to joggle her little companion who was still perched on her shoulder. She drew an arrow pointing right on one of the stones, stood up carefully and turned right.

"That was pretty smart, little lady, but I'm not thinkin' that His Majesty would be too happy with ya writin all over his labyrinth," said Sir in her left ear. Elle smiled to herself imagining the Goblin King standing over her measly little arrow and pouting like a ten year-old. "Sir, I very much doubt that he'll ever notice. It'll most likely wash away in a day or so." She looked over at Sir and asked hurriedly, "It does rain here doesn't it?" The little worm chuckled quietly as he nodded his head.

Elle stopped and looked ahead. The path she had chosen apparently went around in a circle, she was exactly where she had started five minutes ago. "Damn," she looked back down at Sir who appeared to be very puzzled, then back at the path before her. "I suppose we'll have to go back and look for a different turn to take." She turned back the way she had come and found that it was now the dead end. She looked down between her feet to find that the arrow she had drawn had been rotated. "What?! Someone's been changing my marks!" She reached into her pocket and grabbed the marker. "Oh well so much for outsmarting him," Elle turned around to try and find her way back down the path when she noticed that the passage way to her right was now no longer empty.

There at the end of the passage were two, or was it four guards? They were both guarding two doors and they had to be the strangest things she had seen yet. Each guard was holding a very large shield and appeared to have two heads, one upon his shoulders and another between his legs. Both of them had extra appendages sticking out at odd angles where they shouldn't really be. "Where did you guys come from?" she asked them as she strolled up to them warily.

"Why we were always here miss!" said the guard on her right. This guard was bedecked in read vestments his companion was wearing blue. "Ahh, no we weren't Alph!" said the guard in blue. The head beneath the red guard shot a mocking glance over his shield at the one in blue and said, "Oh you're such a lie!" all four heads found this hilariously funny and put their hands over their mouths trying to stifle their snickers.

"Where do these doors lead?" asked Elle a little exasperatedly. All four heads turned to her, but it was the one between the blue guard's legs that spoke, "One of them leads to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth and the other one leads to . . ." his companion above him interjected, "Bum bum bum bummmm!" "Certain death!!!" finished the bottom red guard. They all looked back at her and chorused "OoooooOhhhhh!"

"Highly impressive, chaps," piped up Sir, "So which one is which?" the four guards looked at each other and said, "We can't tell you." The one who was apparently called Alph said, "You can only ask one of us. And one of us always tells the truth . . ." another guard butted in, "And one of us always lies." They all laughed again.

Elle stroked her chin deep in thought. She looked over at Sir and whispered, "What do you think? Any ideas?" He looked back at her a little forlornly and replied, "Nah, I'm just a worm." Elle was pretty stumped, and then she had a small idea. It might not work, but who knew, it was worth a shot.

She walked up to Alph and asked, "How many questions do I get?" Alph looked back at her for a second then retreated beneath his shield conversing with his bottom half. He stuck his head back out over the shield and said, "Two." "Oh he's such a cheat you get as many as you want!" said the blue guard. They four heads started to squabble good naturedly until Elle broke in.

"So that means, regardless of who's lying and whose telling the truth I can ask two questions at least. And after the second question if I ask another and you do or don't answer will tell me which is lying." Both of the guards turned their four heads towards her utterly confused but at had at least stopped arguing. "So then," she said looking at Alph, "Does your door lead to the center of the Labyrinth?" Alph ducked beneath his shield once more, conversing with the head between his legs. "Uhhhhhh, yes?" he said rather dumbfounded after he had looked back up at her.

Elle grinned, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly, "Now, what color is my hair?" Alph looked at her and cringed, "Brown?" he said. Elle jumped up excitedly, forgetting that Sir was perched on her shoulder. She had to lunge to catch him before he fell to the ground. "Ah ha!" she cried triumphantly. "So that means that you lied about how many questions I could ask _and_ what color my hair was, so _that_ means that your door leads to certain death and the other one leads to the castle!" Elle clapped her hands and went over to the blue guard who stood aside as she pushed the door open. She stepped through and started to walk down the corridor. "I knew I could figure it out!" Then all of a sudden the ground beneath her fell away and she was falling. She reached up to her shoulder and grabbed sir, making sure no to squish him. She screamed and looked back up to where she had been standing. Both guards were huddled around the opening in the ground. Alph called after her, "Don't be upset, even She couldn't get it right!" Both of the guards chuckled down at her as she continued to fall and scream.

The walls of the pit were covered in hands, green, slimy, rotting hands. "Help!" she screamed. The hands grabbed her and screamed even louder, "HELP!!!" Suddenly a face formed from a number of hands beside her face and said, "What do you mean help? We _are_ helping." Another face formed in front of her and said, "We're helping hands!" Elle looked at the hands holding her, and then at Sir who was shaking violently in her hand. "Well then can you help me out of here?" another face formed on her left and said, "Of course! Which way, up or down?" Another face formed a bit farther above her, "Yes, which way?!."

Elle looked down and noticed a trap door at the bottom of the shaft. _Perhaps it leads to a short cut_, she thought to herself. "Well," she said at last, "My feet are pointed down, so I guess I'll go that way." The hands all began to ooh and ahh at her while Sir was violently yelling NO at her.

"She chose down!" said one face, another hand-face repeated his cry as the hands holding her hips and arms began to loosen. "Was that wrong?" she cried in fear. Another face sneered at her, "Too late now!" and suddenly the hands let go completely and Elle was falling. Both she and Sir were letting out bloodcurdling screams. She felt her back slam into trap door which gave way and opened, only slowing her down a little as she hit the ground with a dull thud. She sat up, set Sir down on the ground quickly as he seemed like he was about to be sick, and looked up. The hole in the ceiling was bright for a moment then became dark as the latticed trap door closed with a snap.

"Damn."

Author's Note: Alright everybody, here we go. I'm sorry for the big lapse in time between the updates, but I kind of discouraged by the comments last time. Thank you to everyone who is enjoying my story though! I'll post some more personal thank yous next time, but for now I hope you enjoyed the update! Next one has much more Jareth in it, I PROMISE!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Author's Note: **I decided to make this one a tad longer, to appease those who are enjoying the story. : )

**Chap.4**

Jareth sat in his throne room, which was mysteriously empty of its normal population of goblins. _Must be happy hour at the pub_, he thought sardonically. Only a few chickens and empty kegs served as testimony to the recent inhabitants of his least favorite room. In his hands he held a glittering crystal, and there in its depths he could see his new victim getting slowly to her feet. She was a fairly plain girl, a long nose and a stubborn chin that had a slight cleft. She wasn't ugly, she just wasn't 'Her'. Jareth sighed deeply and threw the crystal up into the air. It disappeared with a resounding "pop!" as footsteps made their way into his throne room.

"Ahh Hoggle, just the man I wanted to see." The dwarf that Elle had met earlier waddled up to Jareth's throne where he bowed reverently.

"Has she mades it into the Labyrinth itself yet, or is she still a bumbling around that stupid red herring corridor?" Hoggle chuckled lightly, but when he saw his king's stricken face he stopped abruptly. Jareth took a deep breath and stared at the floor. He shook his head slightly, his golden hair rippling over his shoulders.

Hoggle reached up and rested a stubby hand on Jareth's shoulder. They had become quite close since 'She' had left. They had both cared for 'Her' deeply, and missed 'Her' terribly. Though still terrified of him, Hoggle found that Jareth needed a friend more than he did. "She's in the Oubliette Hoggle." Shocked, the dwarf looked up at the gilt clock floating in the air at the center of the room. "But Majesty, she's not even into her sixth hour yet!" Jareth sat up, braced both hands on the arms of his throne and stood slowly with deliberation. He walked behind his throne and pulled out a long cloak.

"You know Hoggle, I think I may have underestimated this one," he threw the cloak over his shoulders, fastening it to his outrageous leather jacket. "You want me ta try and lead her back to the beginnin agains?" Jareth stopped pacing and thought for a moment. He whirled his hand around in a graceful manner and there was another crystal. In it's depths he could just make out the girl searching the oubliette for anything useful. It appeared that she needed a lesson in "giving up." "Yes Hoggle, I think you should try exactly that." Hoggle smiled at his king who was looking a little more cheerful. "I'll be in the same place looking out for you two in the False Alarms. Are you ready to put on a good show Hoggle?" Jareth tossed a peach at Hoggle, who caught it deftly. The Dwarf grinned up at Jareth who smirked back.

"Sir?" whispered Elle on her hands and knees. She shuffled around the floor as carefully as she could so as not to squish her friend unintentionally. "Sir where are you?!" Elle heard a coughing noise near her right hand and very carefully felt the ground. There he was, rolled up into a very tight ball and shivering slightly. "Sir are you okay?" She picked him up gently and placed him in her palm.

"I'm alright, missy," he said at last in a quiet voice. "Don't you be worryin' about ol' Sir now. I've been in worse scrapes afore." He began to chuckle slightly but it turned into a cough from all of the dust that must have been surrounding them. He slowly unrolled himself and started the tedious climb back up to her shoulder. "Where are we?" she asked herself.

"This is an oubliette," came a familiar gruff voice in the darkness. They heard a scraping noise and suddenly there was a little light to cut through the gloom. There stood the dwarf she had met outside the labyrinth holding a lit match. "Oh," said Elle softly. The dwarf tsked her as he waddled over to a large candle absolutely covered in glitter.

"Don't act like you know so much. I bet you don't even know what an oubliette is," he looked over at her with a mischievous smile on his wrinkled face. Elle huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She met his sarcastic gaze with an impatient glare. He quirked an eyebrow at her in a funny manner. It almost made her laugh out loud, almost.

"Of course I do," she said indignantly, "It's a dungeon, derived from the French for "forget" or as they say oublier." The dwarf raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. Sir puffed himself up in pride at his companion's knowledge. The dwarf whistled slightly through his teeth and waddled over to her extending his stubby hand.

"Well I'ms impressed. Even 'She' didn't know what it was. I'ms Hoggle by the way. I hopes you have a better memory than 'She' did." Elle took Hoggle's hand in a firm grip and shook it gently.

"I'm Elle, and this is Sir," she gestured up to Sir on her shoulder. Hoggle chuckled jovially and started to waddle over towards a board lying on the ground near the floor. "Hoggle, sir, could I ask you a question?" Hoggle waved at her to proceed. "Who is 'She'? The girl everyone keeps talking about?" Hoggle dropped the plank of wood with a dull thud. He stood there for a moment, very still then turned slowly towards her. He threw furtive glances left and right. Finally he spoke.

"I'm not so sure that I should be talking about that. I means, I'm not so sure Jareth would be too happy with that." He turned back to fiddle with the plank of wood. Elle looked at Sir who was conveniently looking in the other direction. She sighed exasperatedly then walked over to Hoggle. "Who's Jareth?" she asked. Hoggle turned to her astonished, "Why he's the Goblin King! And I don't think it proper that we're a chatterin away about his past. None of our business." Elle was getting frustrated now, why wouldn't anyone let her know what's going on?! Then something swam before her eyes, an image of a man, hurt and alone standing in that attic room looking for someone who wasn't there.

Elle put her hand on Hoggle's shoulder, "Was it a woman named Sarah, perhaps? Sarah Adams?" Hoggle whipped his head towards her so violently that she was sure he must've developed whiplash. "Or maybe you knew her as Sarah Williams? I think that was her maiden name." Hoggle's eyes grew wide in fear. "Hoggle what's wrong?"

"Did you just say _maiden_ name?" he whispered hoarsely. "Alluding to the fact that she's _married_?" Hoggle dropped the plank a second time and collapsed onto the ground with a plop. Elle sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you tell me what happened. I have time, I think." So there they sat for a long time, he told Elle about a young girl who had wished her brother away, how Jareth had cared for her. She succeeded in solving the labyrinth, but refused Jareth's love and left. Hoggle and the two other friends she had made during her journey had kept in touch for several years, until slowly she stopped calling upon them. They hadn't heard from her in quite a while.

"So basically what you're saying is she didn't love him," Elle stated. Hoggle nodded and started to rise to his feet. "She just lived out the story in the book." Again Hoggle nodded, and reached for the wooden plank for yet a third time. He placed it on the wall and opened it. A cascade of pots, dust bins, and brooms fell to the floor with a clatter, burying Hoggle for a moment. Elle heard him mutter "Damn! Stupid broom closet," before he was able to free himself from the debris. He kicked to clutter out of the way and shut the door with a click. "I always forget about that," he said as he reached for the other side of the door and pulled. This time when he opened it there was a passageway visible beyond it. He motioned for her to walk through with him. "Now before we're on about our ways, lemme ask ye. What's it you're doin here. Ye haven't wished no one away, yet here y'are."

Elle smiled ruefully, "Actually I have wished someone away. Me." Hoggle looked at her confusedly. "Well you see, I've never felt like I belonged up there. I don't have a family and everyone I meet seems to have it in for me. I'm sick of the human race." Both Hoggle and Sir looked at her with dazed expressions. "Well then why are you runnin this labyrinth miss, if you're wantin' to be here?" asked Sir.

Elle took a big breath, it was a lot harder trying to explain this than she thought. "The Goblin King said that if I could make it trough his labyrinth in thirteen hours then I could have a new home. I suppose he doesn't realize that I want this to be my new home, this place." Hoggle and Sir looked at each other, grins slowly beginning to play across their faces. "And when ya say ye haven't any family, how d'ya mean that exactly?" asked Hoggle. "Well, my mother died when I was born and my father apparently didn't want me, so he dropped me off at an orphanage. I've been there ever since." Hoggle beamed at her, which was more than a little unnerving.

"Well then," he said, "I'm thinkin' that I'll be helping ye get through this labyrinth. S'about time we had a nice female like you 'round this place." Hoggle grabbed her hand and started to pull her through the passageway, passing giant sculptures like faces shouting at them that they were going the wrong way and were in mortal peril. Hoggle sent an inquiring look over his shoulder at Sir who winked conspiratorially.

* * *

The tunnel that Hoggle was pulling her through seemed to go on forever and the pessimistic faces were starting to really get on her nerves. "Oh would you shut up already?!" she cried at them finally, exasperated. Hoggle chuckled and kept pulling her through the tunnel. "Don't mind thems," he said, "They're just False Alarms." Being quite tall Elle had to stoop to hold Hoggle's hand and her back was starting to protest. "It shouldn't be too much longer, we'll be comin to a passage that'll take us to a short cut I knows." They were making pretty good time, Elle noticed as she glanced at her old and battered watch.

It was while her gaze was directed downward that a glittering light caught her eye. She looked at the ground and saw a small crystal ball rolling near her feet. It was moving much faster than they were and she followed it as it drew even with Hoggle who was jogging in front of her, panting lightly and then passed him. Hoggle soon noticed the crystal too. "Oh no, he muttered.

They both stopped abruptly and stared after the crystal. It rolled across the ground in a weaving pattern then jumped into the tin cup of a strange looking beggar. "Well well well," he said in a breathy voice, "What do we have here?" Hoggle was looking quite nervous now; sweat was glistening on his brow and he was breathing pretty raggedly. "Nothin'," he croaked.

The beggar grabbed his hat, as if to take it off. "Nothing? Nothing? Nothing, tra la la?!" said the beggar in an irritated voice that sounded suspiciously like. . .

"Jareth!" cried Elle in an angered voice. The beggar had stood up to his full height, and instead of merely pulling off his hat, he'd pulled off an entire costume. There stood the Goblin King, this time wearing a very bizarre looking jacket. It appeared to have an armored shoulder attached to it. _Men_, thought Elle to herself.

Jareth walked up to Hoggle, grabbed him by the cuff of his vest and hauled him up to eye-level. "Hoggle are you helping this girl?" If Hoggle had been glistening with sweat before, now he was drenched in it.. "H-helping? In what sense?" Jareth brought him closer to his face and said in a menacing tone, "In the sense that you are leading her towards the castle!"

Elle was looking back and forth between the two of them. Something was going on underneath this hostile tone. They were both giving each other strange looks that didn't necessarily correspond with what they were saying. She looked down at Sir to see what he made of it all, but the little worm was looking in another direction again. Elle had the feeling that he was avoiding contact with her at the moment for some reason. She looked back at the two men to find that they were speaking again.

Hoggle had puffed out his chest as much he could while being suspended in the air and said, "Yes, I am." Jareth was so shocked that he dropped the little dwarf abruptly, his mouth agape. It was very un-kingly. He recovered himself quickly and glared down at Hoggle. "I see then, I'll deal with you later," he crossed his arms, but so did Hoggle. Finally Jareth turned on Elle like a cat about to pounce on a mouse.

His eyes locked with hers and for the first time she realized that they weren't the same color. His left eye was a deep and pensive brown color, his right eye was a sharp and piercing blue. It was his right eye that scared her; it glinted in the dim light and seemed to be penetrating her protective barrier to wreak havoc on her soul. She stared right back into his and she saw for the barest moment a flicker of surprise when he realized that she wasn't afraid. Her back was against a wall, there was no where to go and he knew it.

He leaned forward and rested his hand on the wall behind her, his face inches from hers. "And Elle, how're you enjoying my labyrinth?" She could feel Sir shivering in fear on her shoulder. She thought for a moment, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. She spoke calmly and deliberately, "It's a piece of cake." Jareth smirked at her, baring his teeth once more.

He shifted just slightly, till his face was only bare centimeters from hers. "Really? A piece of cake is it?" She could feel his breath on her face, she was getting really nervous now. For the first time she realized that though they were almost exactly the same height that for all his slenderness, he was probably ten times stronger than she was. Not to mention the fact that he had magic and she didn't. "Well if it's not to your liking, I _could_ make it harder and longer for you." She couldn't believe he'd said it. _He _couldn't believe he'd said it either. She was sure he hadn't meant it like that but, it was just too hilarious to let go. He seemed to realize what he'd said the same moment she did and his eyes kind of bulged in disbelief.

Elle couldn't help it, she laughed. And laughed. The Goblin King seemed too shocked to laugh at once, but then it infected him too. Her laughter made her shake like a boiling tea kettle, and he found he couldn't help himself but to laugh with her. They both stood there laughing for a moment until she was finally able to choke out, "Eww you dirty man!" He stepped back a pace, still laughing softly. "Now you know that's not what I meant," he was still stepping backwards when he bumped into Hoggle who was staring at them absolutely shocked. Jareth turned and saw his expression and found it rather amusing too. "All right Hoggle, I'll forgive you. Just take her back to the beginning, like we planned." Hoggle seemed to snap out of his shock and looked up at Jareth with indignation. Elle had stopped laughing.

"What?" she cried. She looked at Hoggle who winced. "What do you mean 'take her back to the beginning'?!" Hoggle looked absolutely terrified of the rage that was radiating from Elle, but he squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and spoke to Jareth with as much courage as he could muster, "I is not takin her back to the beginning. I'm gonna help her solve the labyrinth." Hoggle was shaking like a leaf as he crossed his arms before his chest in a protective manner. Elle looked down at Sir, he was trembling also, his head hidden within the immense curls of her hair, muttering to himself. _Am I the only one here not completely terrified of this man?_ She asked herself.

The humor that had been in Jareth's eyes only a moment before was now completely gone, replaced by hurt, disappointment, and anger. He rounded on Elle, stalked towards her and once more pinned her to the wall. She had a feeling that this time, no amount of tom-foolery would break his reserve. He waved his hand before her face and a beautiful crystal appeared from nowhere. "A piece of cake you say?" he stepped back slightly, the crystal gripped firmly in his gloved hand. "Well let's see how you deal with this little slice." He twisted his body and threw the crystal as hard as he could down the corridor. It shone in the gloom like a single star in the night sky. When Elle looked back at where Jareth had been standing to ask him what he'd done, she found him gone.

Hoggle was staring down the corridor his eyes wide in fear. "Oh no the CLEANERS!!!" screeched Sir in her ear. Elle looked down the corridor and found that it was now lighted, and in that light she saw dozens of swirling blades attached to a flat metal disk coming straight towards them.

Hoggle and Elle, with Sir desperately trying to wind himself up in her hair, took off down the corridor at breakneck speed. They could hear Jareth's menacing laughter follow them as they ran further and further down the corridor, lights flashing on whenever they passed beneath them. "No!" cried Elle as they came to a gate barring their way. She and Hoggle pulled and yanked at it, but it would not budge. Sir shrieked at them, "It's padlocked ya ninnies! Find sommat else to do than TUG AT A GATE THAT WON'T OPEN!!!" Hoggle looked left then right and his eyes widened in disbelief. He smacked his head and ran past Elle towards the right wall. When Elle looked right as well, she too couldn't believe they'd missed it. She cursed violently and ran after Hoggle. There where a solid right wall should be, was a gaping hole.

They dove headlong through it, landing in a heap as the cleaners passed by where they had just been standing. It crashed into the gate, tearing it from the wall and reducing it to a pile of bars and chains. Ell watched as the cleaners resolved into two little people, she could only assume were goblins, who were pedaling the cleaners forward. The entire image was so ridiculous that the three of them started laughing.

"We were afraid of _that_?" Elle chortled, a hand on her stomach. Sir was draped over her shoulder positively shaking with great guffaws, "I'm havin trouble believing it meself," he said at last. Elle hauled herself to her feet, groaning slightly. She reached down and gave her hand to Hoggle, trying at the same time not to lose Sir who was still laughing unsteadily on her shoulder.

Once on his feet, Hoggle waddled over to an unsteady looking ladder, motioning for Elle and Sir to follow. "Now tell me," Elle started warily. "Why did Jareth tell you to take me back to the beginning?" Hoggle looked down at her, nearly halfway up the ladder now, appearing to be choosing his words carefully.

"Well," he started, "That _was_ the plan. It always is with anyone who runs the labyrinth. Once they reaches the oubliette, if they do at all that is, it's me job to take them back to the beginins." Hoggle turned back around and continued to climb. Elle looked down at Sir who was gripping her shirt in his mouth, so as not to accidently fall the dozens of feet to the ground. "What do you think?" she asked him. "Mmmf mmmbm, dffn shmmba," he mumbled. Elle looked back up the ladder and rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

Hoggle had reached the top and pushed a trap door open above them. He climbed through it and disappeared. Elle kept climbimg as she yelled up through the opening. "But then why are you helping me get to the castle?! I mean, I know you said that it'd be nice to have someone new around here, but I highly doubt if that's a good enough reason to commit treason against your king." She threw herself over the edge of a decorative pot and looked around the clearing which they were now in. It was a paved circular part of the labyrinth, with stone soldiers all around the hedge walls. Hoggle waddled over and took Sir from her shoulder. Elle collapsed to the ground with a loud thud and let out a great sigh.

Hoggle seemed to be ignoring her last question as he walked towards an opening in the hedge wall. _Oh well_, she thought, _I'm sure I'll figure it out_. And with new resolve, she got to her feet and jogged after Hoggle, taking Sir and putting him on her shoulder once more.

A/N: Ok, shout out time!

Lark Ewoods: You are one of my most devoted fans. Thank you so much for your support, you make all the difference in the world for my stories.

rose217: It's very reassuring to know that there are people put there ho understand my story. Thank you so much for your words of encouragment, they really do make me want to keep this story going. And I'm glad you like Sir, he's the most fun character to expand upon, since his slate was pretty much clean . . . oh the possibilites!

Karakara: Hahahaha, well you see the whole thing's rigged, so no matter what door she picked, she would have fallen into the Oubliette. Ahh Jareth, you're such a slime. Hahahaha. Thank you for reviewing.

Now everyone else who's reading the story, but hasn't reviewed yet . . . I wag my pointy finger at you in SHAME. Please, please, pleeeeeeeeease review? It's like getting a Christmas present, and I like Christmas presents. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside, just like reviews . . . Points shamelessly to the review box, wiggling butt in happy motions


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Author's Note:**

**Chap.5**

"Damn that girl!" cried Jareth as he stormed back into his throne room. He ripped off his cloak and threw it over a group of goblins who were tormenting a chicken by his throne. Happy hour being over, the throne room was once again full to bursting of repulsively cute monsters. "The NERVE of her! I give her the opportunity to run my labyrinth and she INSULTS me!" He ripped his gloves off and threw them as hard as he could. One of the goblins made an attempt to grab one of them and wound up falling out of the window. No one seemed to notice . . . or care.

"Does NO ONE have any respect for a King anymore?" Jareth asked himself softly as he sank down into his throne, resting his chin on his hands dejectedly.

"I do, yours majesty," said a little goblin with pink hair at his feet. The little creature had a rag in his hands and was wiping Jareth's boots, scrubbing away the dirt and grime. Jareth glanced down at the little goblin whose large eyes were raised to him, loyal reserve on his face. "I am havin respect for yous majesty," he said again. "But pretty, red, fuzzy girl's is not understandin why she be needin to respect yous majesty."

Jareth raised his brows at the little goblin who had returned to scrubbing his boots. "You know of the girl in the Labyrinth?" Jareth asked softly. Without looking up the little pink haired goblin nodded his head. "And why does she not understand why she should respect me, do you think good . . . ?"

"Tígöo," replied the little goblin. "But me friends is callin me Runt me whole life. And I is thinking she not be understandin cause'n yous can feel she be sad, yous majesty." Jareth frowned slightly in confusion and the goblin elaborated. "Yous be seein, the goblins here, we's can feel the peoples inside the Labyrinth. We be part of it, remember?" Jareth nodded and waved his hand at the goblin to continue.

Runt took a deep breath and went on, "Well most peoples, when they is bein sad, they's be not knowin how'n to behave properly-like, yous majesty. Yous might be thinkin it a good idea to look at the life she's had been leadin, afore she is bein here." With one last rub on Jareth's boot he stepped back and bowed to his king.

Jareth nodded a dismissal and muttered a thanks to Runt. Jareth leaned back and sighed thoughtfully, steepling his fingers and closed his eyes. It had never occurred to him that someone else in the universe may also be sorrowful of their life besides himself. He opened his eyes and grimaced in pain when he thought of the years that had dragged by since She had left the Underground, had left him.

He leaned forward on the edge of his throne and waved his hand to produce a clear crystal ball. He stared within it and saw a sad childhood; adolescence and young adulthood play out in the crystal's depths. He saw a small infant with reddish down on her crown cry for hours and no one came to her, saw her being laid in the arms of a middle-aged woman, crying at the top of her lungs and grasping towards the man who'd laid her there. He saw a toddler sitting on a rickety old bed, staring out of the window, crying and hugging her knees as if they were an anchor, saw older children push and shove her as they played in a park, saw them ignore her. The child grew, frowning at everyone, throwing punches at anyone who appeared threatening. The children around her came and went, but she always remained.

Jareth put the crystal down; he couldn't watch anymore yet knew that he must. He looked again into the crystal and saw a girl of about fifteen, with the same grey eyes and bright frizzy hair and stubborn chin of the girl who now ran his Labyrinth. She was sitting in a cramped room with other children her own age, what could only be a professor at it's front, his back turned to the class, blind to his students torturing the young red haired girl in the back. He saw her hair being pulled, boys pinching her thighs and sides, girls snickering at her from across the room. The only time Jareth ever saw the sad girl smile was when she was in that room he had found her in, hunched over the desk, either reading some old tome or writing something in a tatty old notebook.

Jareth stood up suddenly and threw the crystal against the wall, shattering it into a million shimmering shards. The goblins in the hall scattered quickly except Runt who looked to Jareth and nodded sadly. Runt waddled out of the hall leaving Jareth alone, taking ragged, angry breaths. There was something familiar about the young girl's plight, something that echoed his own life. Yet, hard as he tried, he couldn't connect the two just yet.

Slowly, Jareth conjured another crystal. It sat sparkling in his palm as he waved a hand over it. The crystal transformed into the old patched bag that had been lying on the floor of that room aboveground. Jareth sat down on the steps before his throne and began to go through the bag. In it he found the old tatty notebook which he set down beside him, there were old pencils and erasers, a small stuffed bear that was stained and patched, and wrapped in an old scrap of fabric was a crystal ball. He turned it over in his hands, let he play over his palms, swirling around and around. He realized that it was one of his crystals, how this girl had acquired it he had no idea. He wrapped it up again and set it back in the bag.

The old notebook was beckoning to him, so he picked it up and opened it's cover. The binding was coming apart, some of the pages were ripped almost completely out of the book, others were taped carefully back in. Jareth read the notebook cover to cover. It was filled with stories and poems and drawings, beautiful drawings of birds, horses, bears, and an array of beasts only found in the Underground. Her stories and poems were melancholy, stories of lost loves or loves never found. The girl's stories brought to his mind the face of a girl. She had long brown hair, a deep shade that glowed in the sunlight and a face that had been carved by an angel, surely.

He had not thought of her name for a long time, he wished to forget. No one in his realm was to speak it, to even whisper it. But now he couldn't help himself, "Sarah," he said softly. Jareth could feel to tears pricking at his eyes, but he blinked rapidly to hold them at bay. He could not tolerate a girl in his kingdom who could dredge up such painful memories, the young girl must fail.

They were making lovely time according to Elle's old, battered watch. She had about three hours left and Hoggle said it'd probably only be an hour or so to the castle. After they'd climbed out of the decorative pot they meandered through the hedge maze to two doors with very talkative doorknockers. Behind one of the doors they had passed through a forest that was absolutely covered in glitter and home to some of the strangest creatures she'd seen yet. Apparently they were called fieries and lived for taking off their body parts a switching them all around. They were friendly enough, and after Elle calmly explained to them that her head did NOT come off they let them pass easily after a game of Head Volleyball. Although Elle knew she'd never forget the way their eyes followed her head longingly.

Their path led them through a place that Hoggle said was Bog of Stench. She was sure that Sir would have told her where they were, only he was too busy concentrating on not getting sick all over Elle's shirt, that he was really in no state to tell anyone anything. Elle didn't blame the little worm, the place smelled horrible, there were no words to describe it. She felt herself turn a delicate shade of green, matching the awful scent that seemed to be physically lodged up her nose. They asked for permission to cross the Bog's river from a small fox-like knight named Sir Didymus and his noble sheepdog-steed Ambrosias.

The little knight had appeared reluctant to let them pass at first, but Hoggle stooped down and whispered urgently into Didymus' ear. The fox had perked up and with a broad toothy grin on his furry muzzle he bowed to them. "My lady is most welcome to use my bridge ANY time she so chooses to. I am yours to command. Ruff ruff!" he said obligingly. Elle had curtsied back like she had seen ladies in old films do and thanked him graciously.

It wasn't until the three of them were walking in a forest that Elle realized that she was hungry. "Hoggle, you don't happen to have anything to eat do you?" she asked, rubbing her stomach soothingly. Hoggle thought for a moment and then brightened as he remembered that he in fact did have something. He muddled around in his pants for minute then pulled from his pocket a beautiful peach. "Why here y'are Elle. Somethin juicy and sweet." He tossed the peach to her, "I do hope ye like peaches."

Sir looked at the piece of fruit disbelievingly then at Hoggle, "But Hoggle, that's not a-- "

"Peach, yes it is Sir," he winked at the worm who nodded in agreement. Elle, ignorant of everything around her except for her hunger, took a bite of the peach. "Oh Hoggle, it's delicious. Peaches are my all time favorites . . ." She stopped and put a hand to her head, all of a sudden she felt faint.

"Really?" came Hoggle's voice from far away, "They're Jareth's too." She could hear him and Sir Laughing softly, their voices dimming under a beautiful tune she could hear in her head. It grew louder and louder, she blinked and there before her was a beautiful room. It was white and shimmering, chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling and everyone in the room was dancing.

* * *

He saw her from across the room. She had most likely only just arrived and he wanted to see how his spell affected her. Jareth always used this ploy on young ladies to distract them from their goal. His last victim had been the girl who got away. She was beautiful in her youth and innocence and had seemed out of sorts in this dream world, a child among adults. This other girl, oh what was her name again? Oh yes, Ella or something similar to that.

Well this Ella seemed to be quite at home in the ballroom. She looked much prettier in a fine sparkling white gown and her hair tamed properly. She was moving through the crowd of dancers stopping to talk every now and then with one of them, but she was indeed a woman with a purpose. Before he knew it, the young girl had found him and he had not even been able to trick her by darting around the room hiding from her and wasting her precious time. She'd beaten him to the punch and put her hand gently into his arm, never once raising her eyes to him.

They walked about the room for a moment then took a seat at a small table beside the rounded wall of the ballroom. "Now tell me, Jareth King of Goblins, how on earth do I escape this enchanting ball of yours?" she asked softly, keeping her eyes on her clasped hands. His eyebrows rose so far in surprise that they almost disappeared into his hairline.

"Never tell me that you know who you are, who I am, and why you're here?" The question was meant to be intimidating, but Jareth found that he was just too surprised at her lack of enchantedness, to try and scare her. For the first time since she had entered the ballroom, Elle looked into Jareth's face. Hers were a steely grey, reflecting her frustration and impatience. But there was something else in her eyes. It was right there, behind the reflection of the room, it couldn't be . . .

Elle also seemed reluctant to drop her gaze or speak; she was far too interested in this absolutely bizarre man's equally bizarre eyes. They were contemplative at first; then again they became sad and weary, much like when she had first seen him. It hurt her heart to see him so miserable, as his eyes were betraying that he was. She felt not pity for him, or embarrassment, but an honest desire to make the sadness disappear from his eyes forever. A sadness that she was familiar with.

Elle sat back in her chair, breaking eye contact with him at last, and chose her words carefully, "I am in complete control of my memories and desires, though at first I have to say, I was really confused. But when I looked down at this dress then over to you, I knew that this was . . ." she frowned, thinking, "not what I was after. Something in the back of my mind told me that I had to leave, that what I desire lies beyond this room."

It wasn't a lie, she had truly felt that way, but the true reason she had remembered what she wanted was the sight of the Goblin King. She had remembered that she wanted, more than anything, to remain in this world with Hoggle, Sir, Didymus, and . . . well just to stay.

Jareth could see a calculating look on her face that boded trouble. He had to distract her, but how? Gracefully, Jareth rose and proffered a hand towards the young red-head. She looked skeptically at it then grasped it with her own ungloved hand as he pulled her towards the other dancers. She knew she was bad, but she didn't care. She'd never danced with anyone before. It was hard, but she found that counting wasn't nearly as hard as she thought it would be.

"So tell me, Miss Enigma, what pray tell is your given name?" he asked in an amused tone. His voice had distracted her for a moment and she stumbled for a step or two before she could get her head around the steps again. When she finally looked up at him she could see that he was smiling at her in a funny way. "You're laughing at me!" she said indignantly.

Jareth laughed audibly for a moment the recovered quickly, "Your concentration amuses me." Elle looked at her feet and blushed furiously.

"Well to answer your question my name is Elle Avere," she said slowly. _Please don't ask if it's a nickname. PLEASE don't ask if it's a nickname!_ She thought fervently. Almost as if he could read her mind, "Avere sounds as if it's French, but Elle is not a French name. Is it shortened from some longer name?"

Elle sighed heavily. Looking at the floor she muttered, "It's Armelle." Elle looked up at him savagely, "Don't laugh, I didn't choose it. The woman where I came from was going through a French phase when she named me. Stupid Harlequin books," she snarled quietly.

Jareth thought for a moment before speaking. "I wasn't going to laugh, Armelle is a decent name." She squinted at him skeptically. "You know it means princess." She huffed at that before he went on. "From your reaction I assume that you do not believe it fitting? Well from what little I know of you, I would have agreed with you."

Elle frowned for a minute. "I don't understand," she said tentatively. _I can't believe I'm saying this_, Jareth thought. But whatever reservations he had in his mind were not strong enough to stop his mouth from going on. "Well, before now I would have thought your name was inappropriate, but now I must say that it is a very fitting name indeed." Elle stopped dancing abruptly and looked up into his face a little shocked. Was it a ploy, was he just trying to make her stop running his Labyrinth? He was frowning a little, and he looked as if he was just as confused as she was. slowly she began to back away from him, realization spreading over her face. Jareth stepped forward, confused as to why she was retreating from him.

Elle knew if ever she was to escape the dance, it would be now. She turned from him and ran towards the wall of the ballroom, the wheels in her head turning. She now knew that what she truly wanted was not to stay here forever, there was something else, something she hadn't even realized that she had wanted. Through Hell or high water she MUST make it to the castle before time ran out. Her life and another's depended on it.

She came to the curved wall and stared at it helplessly. There were no doors, no windows, it was just a smooth mirror-like wall as far as she could she, like a bubble. That's it! Elle picked up a table decoration near her and turned to the sound of footsteps. Jareth was hurrying towards her, pushing bejeweled and beribboned ladies and gents to get to her. He stopped when he saw the table ornament in her hand. Panic spread over his face as she turned away from him, crying silently, her tears staining the white gown. She raised her arm higher and threw the glass bauble at the wall with all her might. There was an almighty Pop! as the walls burst and everything around them shattered. Elle was falling.

**A/N:** All right everybody, now that the obligatory ballroom scene is done i'd love to hear your feedback leans conspicuously against the review button and now I must thank those of you who DO review.

**FaeriesMidwife:** Oh I was shocked when I wrote it, but it just seemed like something the would slip from him. And as Freud said, there are NO mistakes. Muahahahaha. Ahem, thank you for you review: )

**notwritten:** Thank you very much : )


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Chap. 6**

When Elle landed, she found herself in sort of landfill environment. There was junk around her for miles and miles. She leaned forward, bracing her hand on a pile of junk next to her. To her surprise the pile moved and spoke, "Ow, get off my back!" The voice was whiny and muffled, "Why don't you look where you're going young woman, hmm?" The strangest face looked up at Elle. It was old and wrinkled, yet a small as a child's. the junk woman sneered for a minute then said, "Oh it's no use tryin to distract you, you don't have any junk." Utterly perplexed, Elle hopped down from her pile of junk and peered around her surroundings, looking for her companions. "You'll find them around that bend my dear," came the whiny voice from behind her. Elle looked back and thanked the junk woman before chasing after her friends.

She found them exactly where the Junk Lady had said they would be. At the first sight of Hoggle, Elle rounded on him angrily. "Why did you give me that peach?!" she yelled. Hoggle withered under the force of her voice and Sir cowered on Hoggle's shoulder, "You knew damn good and well that that thing was drugged! I can't believe you, I thought you were my friend!" Slowly Elle's anger subsided into shuddering, weeping confusion. Hoggle patted her arm, standing on tiptoe to reach her.

"Listen little lady, I was just thinking that it'd give you a chance to chat a tad with that king of ours. He needs a friend, and I thought you could do with one as well." Hoggle set Sir in Elle's proffered hand. The little worm looked up at her sympathetically, "Come now lass, what happened in there? It s'alright, you can tell old Sir anything dear."

Elle sank to the ground slowly and drew her knees to her chest. "I don't know what happened. One minute I was asking him how to get back to the Labyrinth the next . . ."

"You left 'im," Sir said simply. Elle nodded and wiped the sparse tears from her face. "Why lassie? Why'd ya leave 'im?" ask Sir, rubbing against her thumb reassuringly.

Elle took a deep breath and thought for a minute. She recalled everything that had been said then, more importantly, what had not been said. She remembered that far away sad look, how she had felt that sadness reflect in her own eyes.

"I have to finish this Labyrinth, and nothing's going to stop me!" she proclaimed. Hoggle and Sir cheered silently when they saw the resolve in her face and eyes. All was not lost, and they knew that the peach had worked. Elle got up slowly, placed Sir back on his usual post of her shoulder, glanced at her battered old watch and took off at a trot towards the gates to the city. "Come on Hoggle, we only have forty-five minutes!" she called over her shoulder.

"I'm gettin' too old fer this."

Jareth had been standing in his room of staircases since he had left the ballroom. It was the only place in the entire castle that the goblins never entered. Early in his reign, Jareth discovered exactly how bouncy his subjects were when one of them wandered in looking for him, fell off one of the staircases and bounced around the room for almost three days. After that, the other goblins decided they would rather not entire this particular room.

The Goblin King's brow was furrowed, and he swallowed hard a few times. _What is it that's so repulsive about me_, he thought bitterly. _Am I doomed to live out the rest of my existence with only goblins and dwarves for companions?_ Jareth looked into the crystal he held and saw only his reflection. He threw the orb with all his might away from him. He saw it bounce several times off walls and stairs, then finally shatter into a million glittering shards. _What does it matter, she never would have stayed here with me. She would have chosen someplace aboveground, someplace warm and beautiful. There was no hope from the beginning._

Far away he heard the chime of a clock, it struck once, twice, thrice. Jareth picked up his cloak from the ground, turning he threw it about his shoulders and strode past the red-headed girl standing in the door way.

"Where are you going?" she called.

"To fetch you your time's . . ." Jareth stopped and turned around quickly just as the thirteenth chime rang trough the castle. ". . . up," he finished lamely. "But I don't understand. You left the ballroom." The girl nodded slowly. "Sarah left, I thought you were leaving."

Elle bristled slightly at his words, "I don't care what Sarah did. I am NOT Sarah, and I'm tired of being compared to her. So don't you dare pull the pity wagon in front of me." Elle crossed her arms over her chest angrily.

Jareth narrowed his eyes stubbornly, noticing that the little blue worm and Hoggle were not with her. "How dare you speak to me in such a tone, I may compare you to whom ever I wish! Now since you have completed my Labyrinth you may choose your new home."

"Fine," she said airily. "I want to stay here." Jareth's face sagged with shock, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. "What, did you think I wanted to go back up there?" she asked incredulously. "Why do you think I wished myself away?! For kicks?"

"You left me in the ballroom! What was I supposed to think?! I asked you to stay, but you left me . . ." he cried.

"I left you because I wanted to finish the Labyrinth!" she rebutted. When he looked at her blankly she went on, "To stay here you ninny! If I'd run out of time you would have sent me back aboveground!"

"But Sarah-"

"Stop it. Stop it now! I don't want to hear anymore about Sarah, that's in the past. She's gone now, you have to move on!" At Elle's words, Jareth blanched. Again, Elle saw that lost hurt look in his eyes. It made her angry, she wanted to slap it away, to make him realize. "You didn't know did you?" she asked slowly.

Jareth's face twisted with pain and fury, "Get out!" he screamed, "Get out!" He took a step towards her, but she stood firmly.

"No." Her quiet reply angered him so much that he slapped her face. He could barely believe that he'd struck a woman when he felt a painful, stinging sensation on his cheek. She'd struck him back. "No," she said again. He looked at her face and saw tears falling down her face, cooling the bright red mark of his hand on her cheek. "I have every right to stay here."

"I am King here, and I ordered you to-!"

"We had a deal!" she screamed at him. "You said you'd give me a new home, and this is the home I want! You have no right to send me away." She looked at him bitterly, "You'd be breaking your word." She was right and he knew it.

"Very well," he said coldly. He looked past her and hollered down the stairs, "Runt!" Instantly, a miniscule goblin came hurtling up the stairs. He stopped before Jareth and bowed low over his boots. "Take the girl to one of the spare rooms."

"Which'un, yous majesty?" asked the pink-haired goblin quietly.

"The one in the south tower," he replied nonchalantly. Jareth began to walk away from them down the stairs, Runt calling after him, "But yous majesty, that'n be where yous . . ."

Jareth waved his hand and said, not bothering to look back at them, "I know very well which room that is. Take her there." And with that, he was gone.

"Wells miss, you be hearin him. Follow me!" Runt called brightly. The Goblin led her down hallways, up stairs, down stairs, and though an uncountable amount of rooms. In no time Elle was thoroughly lost. Finally they halted at a great oak door. It was carved with runes and pictures of magical beings. "Uh, miss. Would yous be mindin if yous could be opening the door? I's bein too little," the little goblin asked shyly.

Elle looked down at her little guide and smiled reassuringly. "Of course I'll open it. What did Jareth say your name was, Runt?" The little pink haired goblin nodded his head. "Is that your given name?" Runt shook his head looking at the floor, grinding his foot into the dirt between the cobbled stones of the floor. "Well what's your real name then, because Runt doesn't seem like a very nice name to me?"

"Tígöo," muttered the little goblin, "But I's bein called Runt cause'n I's small"

"Well it's a tad difficult to pronounce," she said. At this Runts shoulders sagged, he'd been hoping she might call him by his real name. No one ever did. "But," she went on, "I'll try not to botch it up too much when I say it. so I apologize in advance if I don't get it right the first couple of times." At this, the little goblin cried out in joy and hugged her leg. He liked this new person, she was kind to Tígöo. Elle giggled as she opened the great wooden door. It revealed another long staircase. But this one seemed to be a spiral stair, so she knew it was part of a tower. The little goblin scrambled towards the stairs and began to climb, Elle close behind.

For one so small, Tígöo was an expert at climbing stairs. They came to landings five times before they finally reached what Elle thought must be the top at last. When they reached the sixth landing, Elle saw a set of heavy curtains that fell from the top of what must be the door jamb all the way to the floor where the pooled slightly. This doorway lay to her left, directly in front of her was a large tapestry that fell from ceiling to floor. She didn't have a chance to look very closely at it for Tígöo had raced into the room. She pulled aside the great hangings and inhaled quite a mountain of dust. She saw that there were ornate hooks on either side of the door, so she parted the curtains and latched them into the hooks. Batting at them slightly she found that they were a very pretty brocade in shades of spring greens and pinks. _Nothing a little wash won't fix_, she tought for the curtains showed no sign of rot.

Elle turned around and realized that the curtains were not the only things that needed washing. The entire room was covered in at least two inches of dust. There was what appeared to be a chest of drawers with a large mirror set upon it to her left, a hearth and some sort of vanity on her right, and directly in front of her a great four poster bed with hangings of what may have been the same fabric as her door curtains. Tígöo sat in the middle of the spacious floor, drawing pictures in the dust. Despite the sad condition of her new room, Elle couldn't help laughing at the little goblin. "Lay backwards and move your arms up and down," she said between giggles. Tígöo did as she said, giggling with her. Elle walked over, added a finishing touch to his work, picked him up and turned him around. "Look a dust angel," she chuckled. Indeed, on the floor was a little angel shape with a round halo above it in the dust.

They giggled at it for a moment more before Elle set the little goblin down. "Now Tígöo," said Elle. "Do you think you could find me some things to tidy up this room with?"

"I's good at finding things!" replied Tígöo, "But I's not gonna be abled enoughs te bring 'em to yous, lady."

"Well," she said, "find someone who can and bring them here." Tígöo nodded and scrambled out of the room. Elle walked over to the bed and parted the hangings, hoping to find the covers free of dust, or at least not quite as dusty as the rest of the room. She was not disappointed, the green and pink pillows and covers were virtually clear of dust. But the bed was not completely clear, for there lay her old bag. She tied the old hangings back with the tassels on the posts and sat on the bed next to her ratty old canvas bag. She rummaged through it, making sure everything was still there. Satisfied, she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. _This is not going to be easy_.

**A/N: **Well everybody, the plot thickens. MUAHAHAHAHA, well it kinda does anyway. Now onto the thanks!

**rose217:** I didn't get a chance to thank you last time for your comment on chapter four, so I shall thank you for both reviews right now! You read this with your daughter! That's adorable. I'm glad she likes the worm. I had no idea that there were young'uns readin this thing, so I apologize for that rather blatant joke at Jareth's expense. As for the mystery, there seems to be more and more of it doesn't there? Muahahahaha!

**notwritten:** Thanks! ; )

**LarkEwoods:** Of course you like the ballroom scene, you're such a romantic. teeheehee. Well you didn't have to wait long for them to meet again did you? ; )

Well now, that's it for today lovely readers! pirouettes around and stops gracefully pointing at the review button


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Chap. 7**

Why hadn't he followed her progress? He knew enough of her by now to know that she would never have given up. _I should have tried to stop her. But instead I was too busy sulking!_ Jareth paced his private chambers angrily, his hands clasped behind his back. Now he was stuck with her here. A constant reminder of what he could never have. "Sarah," he muttered glumly.

His reverie was broken by a loud knocking at his door. Without invitation, Hoggle with Sir on his shoulder, came marching into Jareth's room. "Now majesty, what's the meanin' of you holin' yourself up in your room when there's a nice girl in the castle who needs to be shown all of the rooms and passageways?" demanded Hoggle gruffly.

"I have no desire to see that vicious minx again," replied Jareth curtly. "She is here only as so long as she remains living. I can put up with her living in the same castle as me until that most joyous time when she leaves this world permanently."

"But majesty, ye know that time works differently here, don' ya?" asked Sir tentatively. "She could very well live fer a thousand years, like yerself." Jareth sagged at the worm's declaration and sat down in his winged armchair, defeated.

"Yes, I know she could very well outlive me, but I do not wish to look upon her again." Hoggle and Sir looked at their king questioningly. Jareth went on, "It is just far too painful to look at her. When I see her I realize how alone I truly am." Hoggle waddled over to Jareth and laid a hand on his arm. "Yer majesty, have you ever thoughts, that maybe the girl's quite alone as well?"

Jareth looked at his faithful servants sadly, then turned his head away and closed his eyes. "It just hurts too much."

* * *

There came a loud bang on the wall outside of Elle's room. She opened her eyes and sat up slowly. "Come in," she called, wondering what this goblin would look like and if Tígöo had come along as well. Elle had expected some homely goblin to come waltzing through her door, maybe another dwarf or Hoggle, she had even imagined that one of those fireys worked in the castle as well. 

She had not expected this.

A large, hairy form was stooping to enter her room. The creature was fully seven or eight feet tall, his entire body and long tail was covered in orange-red fur, and two large horns protruded from his head. Holding onto those horns for his dear life was Tígöo. The giant creature was holding a mop, broom, and a pale of what must be water in one hand and in the other he had many rags and a bar of polishing wax.

"Me's nice miss, this is bein the person who's goin t'be helping us be cleanin yous room," said Tígöo cheerily. The fierce looking creature broke into a wide grin that suddenly made his entire countenance absolutely adorable. Elle smiled in spite of herself. "Ludo, want to help," said the giant creature.

"Ludo? Is that your name?" asked Elle, still smiling. The big creature nodded and handed Elle the rags and polishing wax. "Well my name's Elle," she told him as she started to wipe down the chest of drawers.

Ludo looked up from his sweeping and asked, "Ludo and Elle fwiends?" Elle nodded and Ludo grinned again, his large fangs looking absurd in such a sweet face.

It took them only a couple of hours to clean the room with the three of then working. Ludo swept, and then mopped the floor, Elle dusted and polished the furniture, and Tígöo cleaned all of the spots that they couldn't reach. Ludo put him on top of the four poster, the little goblin kicked off all the dust so that Ludo could sweep it up, and then he dove beneath the bed and chest of drawers, pushing out all the dust bunnies with one of Elle's rags.

Tígöo made a few discoveries under the bed and chest of drawers as well, under the bed he found a beautiful green carpet with images of blue and gold birds and pink roses woven into. Age had affected very little of it, for it had remained soft and colorful. Also under the bed were a few wooden boxes that contained a number of very beautiful shoes. Elle marveled at their colors and styles, wondering if any would fit her and vowing that later she would try some on.

Under the chest of drawers they discovered two small wooden chests that held a variety of necklaces, earbobs, and bracelets. One of the chests played a tune reminiscent of the one she'd heard in the ballroom. There were pearls, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. They were all exquisite. Wondering for the first time whose room this had been, Elle set the chest down on the newly polished dresser and looked into the mirror. A face she was very familiar with stared back at her. The clear grey eyes looked old to her, the red hair frizzier than ever, and there was a giant smudge of dust on her nose.

"Me's lady," said Tígöo. Elle turned around and smiled at her two new friends. Ludo's fur was a fine grey now from all the dust, and Tígöo looked like one giant dust bunny. She giggled at them softly. Tígöo went on, "We's bein done here. Is you needin us fer something else?"

"No Tígöo," said Elle. "Thank you for helping me, both of you. If you ever want to come and see me, I'd be grateful for the company." At this Ludo piped up, "We're fwiends now. If you need us . . ."

"I'll call." At her response Tígöo climbed up Ludo's massive arm to perch himself once more on his head. The two odd friends waved to her, smiling, and left. Elle walked over and closed the door curtains. To let in some light she opened the curtains of the two windows in her room. This time when the drapes stirred there was no cloud of dust to choke her. She gazed out the window a bit and realized that her tower room over looked the part of the Labyrinth that housed the Fireys and the Bog of Eternal Stench. Thankfully, the smell of the bog did not make it up to her room and from this height looked small and innocent, like a glittering green lake.

_Aye me_, thought Elle dramatically. She snickered at her foolishness. She'd read in countless novels that those two words were always said by melancholy ladies. The only thing Elle really wanted to say was . . . "Crap, what am I going to do now?" she muttered. _Buck up!_ Replied her mind, _At least you're far away from that blasted orphanage._ That thought put a little spring in her step as she strode over to the dresser. She opened the first two drawers to find a good many dresses. None of them were near as fancy as the one she had worn in the ballroom, but all had similar cuts. Their fabrics were sturdy and in subtle colors that she liked. These were dresses to explore in, to work and play in.

She looked down at her dirty, patched jeans and her smudged white t-shirt. _Well it can't hurt to try one of them on anyway_, she thought. _Maybe it'll even fit me!_ Elle chose a pretty mint green dress and set it on the bed while she changed out of her old jeans and shirt. She slipped it on and immediately knew that it wouldn't fit her properly. The hem appeared to be much too short and the bust was a tad too spacious, as was the waist. Just for fun Elle swiveled back and forth, admiring the skirt as it swirled. Then suddenly the hem was touching the floor and she felt more comfortable in the bodice. She ran to the tall mirror that was part of the vanity they'd salvaged. The dress now fit her like a glove, like it had been made just for her.

_Magic!_ She thought triumphantly. Elle had never thought of herself as a pretty girl, but she had to admit that the dress looked nice; it brought out the gold in her reddish hair. She rummaged through the drawers of the vanity and found a pretty green and silver hair ornament that would contain her frizzy cloud of hair decently if she braided it right. Elle sat on the little bench before the mirror and set to braiding her hair. Just as she was trying to securing the hair pin on her head to hold her hair up off her back, there came a knock on the wall next to her door.

"Come in!" she called, her face screwed up in concentration. _Damn this hair_, she thought viciously. Feeling the clasp lock she relaxed and turned on the bench to find Hoggle, with Sir perched on his shoulder, standing just inside the door.

"Little lady," said Hoggle brightly, "Ye look pretty as a picture!"

"S'right!" chirruped Sir. Elle got up and walked to her friends, bending over to hug them simultaneously. "Now miss," continued Sir, "Ye must come and have a cuppa wiv the Missus and me one day. Now I won't take no for an answer!" he chuckled merrily.

"Are you leaving?" asked Elle sadly. Sir looked up at her encouragingly, "My Missus'll be expectin me, so's I must be off. But don't you worry yourself miss, we'll see each other again. Remember I've demanded fer ya to come have a cuppa, so we'll hafta be seein one another again!" He chuckled again: this time through quite a few tears.

"Hoggle, does that mean you're leaving too?" Elle asked.

"Only so's I can take Sir home. I'll be back in a few hours," he replied reassuringly.

Elle blinked repeatedly, "A few hours? But it took us thirteen. And you have to make the trip twice!" Hoggle and Sir chuckled at her. "Remember that shortcut ye didna wanna take Miss?" asked Sir. Then she realized that Hoggle could probably make the trip in half the time, both ways.

"Well give me one more hug then," said Elle. Sir climbed onto her hand and she cuddled him against her cheek. Once Sir was situated back on Hoggle's shoulder, they were gone. _Well there's no use sulking,_ she thought. Then she remembered all of the beautiful shoes beneath her bed and decided that she was going to test each and every pair to see if that magic tricked worked on them too. She dove beneath the bed and pulled them all out. She opened the first box to find a vast number of soft flats. She picked one up and examined it; it was rich brown leather, tooled with floral designs on it. "Now this is gonna be fun," she mused to herself, and set about trying it on.

**A/N:** Well then, that wasn't too painful, was it? Sorry the update took so long. The story's been finished for over a omnth now, but my hectic life demands my attentions in six different places at once, leaving little time to update and what not. No onto the thanks!

**rose217:** Ahhh Tigoo. Yes I found his dust angel particularly adorable in my mind so I just had it stick it in there. I'm glad you njoyed the last update i hope you enjoyed this one just as much even if it's a tad shorter. I hope you are enjoying Tigoo. I wrote him specifically for the inner child in my heart that screams at me to feed it pudding. : P

**LabyLyrPhx:** Sadly Sarah will not be playing a physical role in this story. Only her memory plagues the characters, but trust me since it's Sarah's memory, that's ENOUGH. Hahaha. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

**AngerManagementIssues45:** I'm glad you like Elle. I know how hard it is sometimes for readers to enjoy an original other chick since they always feel that she's an extension of the author herself. Thank God Elle is NOTHING like me. Hahaha. And I'm glad you enjoyed Owl's Hoot. Keep your eyes peeled in a couple of months for a sequel! ; )

And to everybody else who's reading the story yet hasn't dropped me any crits or shout outs or what not (and I know that you're out there, I checked the statistics on the story. teehee) PLEASE SEND ME ANYTHING. It's nice to hear from readers how they're enjoying the story. Th-th-th-th-That's All Folks!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Chap. 10**

Elle's days took on a comfortable pattern. She took her meals that were brought up by either Hoggle, Ludo, or another goblin accompanied by Tígöo, in her room. She would spend time with her new found friends, playing games of chess with Hoggle, searching the castle's corridors and rooms for things to decorate her room with Ludo, and drawing in her notebook with Tígöo. She paid more than one visit to Sir's little hole in the outer wall where she and the two worms chatted about the Labyrinth and nothing at all in particular. Her days were happier than she'd ever known they could be, but there was something eating away at her happiness.

She saw nothing of the Goblin King.

It worried her. She never learned what wing of the castle his rooms were in. Whenever she entered the throne room, it was empty, save for a few drunken goblins. A whole month passed by, and she saw neither hide nor hair of him. She thought she heard him once walking in the landing outside of her room, his heels clicking on the stone floor. But when she looked through her curtains, the landing was empty.

Exactly one month after her arrival, Elle was returning to her room after a long stroll in the Labyrinth's forest. When she reached her curtain door she felt a breeze on her legs. She knew it wasn't coming from her room because her door curtains fell and pooled on the floor, no daft would permeate them. It felt like it was coming from her left.

She turned to look at the tapestry that she had become quite familiar with. Its blues, reds, golds, and greens created an elaborate picture of the labyrinth. The border boasted images of goblins, fieries, nasty little faeries, and beautiful barn owls. It looked ancient, and she guessed that it probably was. She looked at it much more closely this time and saw that the white fringe at the bottom was billowing in a draft.

_Is this a window? Or maybe an old hole in the wall?_ She thought to herself. She lifted the great tapestry to find a staircase leading upwards. Without stopping to think, she lifted the skirts of the light green dress which had become her favorite, and headed up the stairs. They were clean, as if used regularly, and wound up one more story to what had to be the last room, for they lead directly into a completely circular room.

The room was empty, save for a few errant leaves beneath the great window directly opposite the stairs. It was much like the windows in her room but much larger, she could sit on the ledge of this one, and she did. She leaned over the edge and could see the entire Labyrinth sprawling beneath her.

The wind was crisp and bit at her nose. She reached up and unclasped her hair. It billowed around her, a golden-red cloud. _I think this is the perfect place to start writing again,_ she thought to herself. Though she had been drawing in her notebook with Tígöo, she hadn't written anything since she had arrived. She knew that there were few pages left in her old book, but she'd just have to make do.

On one of her explorations with Ludo, they had stumbled across a modest library. It had numerous old tomes, and some more recent pieces of literature. Though they searched, they could find no empty journals or notebooks. So Elle would have to write very small in order to make her pages last.

_Yes_, thought Elle contentedly as bright ray of orange light penetrated the Underground clouds and bathed her in warmth while the cold wind brought a flush to her cheeks. _I do believe it's time I started writing again._

And the very next day Elle made the tower room a part of her everyday schedule. She rose early in the mornings before any of the goblins we up, and in her cotton shift and dressing gown would wind her way up the stairs to that room and sit writing while the orange light grew stronger and stronger. There were no clocks in her room or any of the other ones she had found, yet she could tell quite easily when an hour had passed and would sneak back down to her room to await her breakfast.

One morning, a week after her discovery of the tower room, she sat in the window and began to thin about the absence of the Goblin King. _Has he left his castle entirely? No, he wouldn't have done that, someone would have told me. Does he even remember that I'm here? I bet he doesn't._ Suddenly Elle felt a chill run down her spine. Without knowing why she grabbed her tatty old notebook and fled down the stairs. She batted away the tapestry and plunged through the curtains of her door and lung herself onto her four poster. She lay there, trying to still her breath. Scarcely a few moments later she heard the click of Jareth's boots on the stair leading to her room. He stopped on the landing and for a moment all was quiet. Each of them was listening for signs of movement from the other. Then Elle heard the tapestry being batted away and his boots going up the tower stairs.

Elle heaved a heavy sigh and decided to close her eyes for a while before her breakfast came.

Elle may have thought that Jareth had forgotten of Elle's existence, but he hadn't. Her mere presence in the castle was slowly eating away at him. He sat on his favorite perch in the East Wing's tower, looking out the window and letting a crystal plat slowly across his hands. _If only she were Sarah_, he thought bitterly. His whole world had ended that day she had left the Labyrinth.

Time worked strangely in the Underground, it may have been a hundred years since she had left him, for he could no longer count the years. He knew that he needed to let her go, but he found it so hard. It was like removing a part of his soul, she had been the one!

Then there was this girl, this Elle. He had thought he could find friendship in those warm grey eyes of her, but she had left him alone in the ballroom. He must have been fooling himself when he thought he'd seen caring reflected in her eyes. He was a fool. No one could be trusted, everyone lied.

Hoggle had defended her, that little Runt had defended her as well. Liars, the both of them, everyone lied to him and no one wanted him. He was alone.

On the way up to his sanctuary, he'd thought to visit Elle, to try to win her friendship once more. He'd stood listening at her door, listening for any sound of movement. He'd heard none. _Obviously she's content here without the burden of my company. I have no need of her, or anyone._ For the first time in many years, Jareth put his head in his hands and wept for his loneliness.

Down in her room, Elle wept as well. She sobbed into her pillow as she'd never done before. She'd heard him out side of her room, standing there, waiting. She'd wanted him to come in, to see him standing in her door. Why had he not come to see her? Was she so unpleasant looking that he couldn't bear the sight of her.

_No_, said a nagging voice in her head, _you're not Sarah and you'll never be!_ And suddenly she knew that she was causing Jareth more pain than he'd felt before. She was physical proof that Sarah was never coming back. She'd come with the news on her lips that Sarah was gone from all the living worlds forever, and nothing could ever bring her back.

Elle wanted to hold him in her arms, to comfort him, to soothe away his pain and dry his tears. Slowly she realized that what she felt for the bitter and sad man was more than a desire for friendship and she wept for the love she could give but would never receive.

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update folks, but life has bitten me in the bum big time. The story's almost over, just one more chapter believe it or not! Now onto the thanks.

Lark Ewoods: I too love Ludo, he and Didymus are my favorite characters in the movie. Well except for Jareth . . . of course. I'm glad you like Sir and Tigoo too, well Sir isn't mine but Tigoo is. He's tons of fun to write. : ) Thankee Bunny!

AngerManagementIssues45: Well he's in for quite a surprise in her attire in the next chapter. : ) I'm thrilled that you're enjoying my updates. I know people are reading the story, so they must be enjoying it too, but you're one of the few who comments. And for that I'm very thankful. Hope you enjoyed this one too!

All right scat cats, comment and review pleeeeeeeeeeease? Until next time ladies and gents!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary:** The years have passed, yet the Goblin King remains a broken man. Can true love mend his heart, and can he heal her torn and fractured soul in return?

**Disclaimer:** Labyrinth is not mine, sadly. Even though I pray regularly to God that one morning I might awaken to find Jareth sitting on my bed with the rights to his story in his hands. Le sigh . . .

**Author's Note:** Well here it is . . . finally. Actually this chapter has been done for a VERY long time, but life has just been so hectic. Hope it meets your expectations!

**Chap.11**

Elle was once again sitting upon her favorite perch, the room at the top of her tower. She held in her hands a beautiful leather bound notebook. It was covered in ancient runes and knot work. The pages were age-yellowed and already covered with words produced from her new fountain pen. They had been gifts for her birthday from Hoggle and Sir. Ludo and Tígöo had given her a bouquet of dried flowers with an earthenware vase that she supposed had been made by the two of them. It sat on her dresser next to the small candelabra that Sir Dydimus had given her.

Slowly she closed the book and her eyes, reflecting on her time spent in the Underground, of the friends she had made and the places she had seen. Had it really been only a year ago that she had wished herself away? Elle's heart was beginning to race, she knew he was coming.

A few days after she had almost run into Jareth on her landing, she had vowed never to stay past midmorning in her sanctuary. She had seen little of him since then, a glance of him down the hallway; passing a room that he occupied . . . He never attempted to speak with her, so she never disturbed him. Once, almost a week ago she thought she'd heard someone crying in the library, but when she wet to investigate she found no one there.

She tilted her head to the right slightly, ears pricked for any sign of him. She was rewarded with the sound of his boots on the spiral stair. She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, steeling herself for the argument that was surely about to take place. Today she had been so engrossed in writing that she had forgotten to leave. It was now past noon. She felt rather than saw him enter the room.

He saw her sitting there on his ledge; her head leaned back against the frame, her hair undone, alight in the orange glow of the Underground sun. Jareth began to blush with embarrassment as he noticed that she was still in her night clothes, her blue dressing gown wasn't even fastened. Her eyes were closed, a calm expression on her face. Had he known better he would have thought her asleep.

"Well, are you going to rant and rave because I'm sitting in your seat?" Elle asked placidly.

Jareth blinked at her sincere tone and the bluntness of her question. She never ceased to surprise him, and he found that disconcerting and at the same time, comforting. He'd always been able to predict Sarah's actions, this girl never did what he expected. "No," he said quietly. "I just didn't think that anyone else knew this room was here. I thought I'd hid it fairly well, but apparently not." He grinned at her as she glanced at him, rolling her eyes.

"Men never think they can be bested by anyone else," she chuckled. He joined her briefly, then a heavy silence fell between them. Elle placed her book on the window ledge, carefully slipping her pen between the pages so as not to lose her place. She swung her legs to the floor and stood, wincing as the blood came back into her legs.

"Would you mind my dear, if you could close your dressing gown?" asked Jareth tentatively, glancing at her feet. He noticed her old bag sitting on the floor by her feet and wondered if she still had the crystal.

Elle glanced down and flushed red all the way to her hair line. Though her cotton shift was long and full, it was terribly thin. Swiftly she closed her dressing gown and tied the silken cord, laughing nervously. _I completely forgot that I had untied it . . . Oh well, the harm's been done_.

Jareth raised his eyes back to her face and realized for the first time how well she fitted in this room. He supposed that if she fitted in this room, then perhaps she fitted with the rest of the castle. _If she fits in so well in my home . . ._ her words broke his reverie.

"Would you like me to leave?" Elle asked quietly. He looked at her pensively for a moment. What did he want of her? He had spent the last year trying to keep his sanity, knowing that there was another human being in his castle, and that she appeared to want nothing to do with him. He hadn't attempted to contact her in anyway, too afraid that she would reject him, now seeing that she was just as nervous around him as he was around her. He began to wonder . . .

"No, you may remain if you so wish. I can return later when you are finished here," he said equally as quiet. "I also find this place very comforting and inspiring. Use it as often as you wish."

He turned to leave but Elle called out to him, "Wait. Can't we talk a while? I mean we are living in the same castle after all . . . Shouldn't we get to know one another?" He turned to look at her questioningly. "I mean, I know that I've been a little lonely this year, haven't you?" Jareth furrowed his brows thoughtfully, then nodded slowly. "Well then," Elle went on tentatively, "How about we start with the important things first . . . Like family."

"What do you mean, precisely," Jareth asked slowly. He crossed his arms defensively, expecting the worst.

"Well, I've bee here a year and I've noticed that you live here relatively by yourself." She hesitated, "Where's your family?"

Jareth sneered at her, "Dead I imagine. And it's not as if I care anyway." Elle stepped back at his cold tone. He went on, "I was wished away to the goblins, presumably by my mother. How long ago, I cannot say, but I can assure you that I have been here for a _very_ long time."

Elle was stunned. He truly was just like her . . . The Goblin King continued. "When most children are wished away they become goblins after an interminable amount of time. All of my subjects were once human, but no more. As I am the only human in this realm it is safe to say that something, most likely that terribly special ability I have which we shall call magic, kept me from becoming one of them. But believe me, girl, I would have chosen to be a goblin in a heartbeat. I was always separated from the goblins, not by proximity, but by intelligence and existence. No one seemed to want me . . ."

Jareth turned to leave once more with an air of defeat around him. Before she could stop herself, Elle ran to him and grabbed his arm. He stopped and turned towards her, there was an emptiness in his eyes that frightened her. Carefully she laid her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes but did not weep, instead he pulled away from her gently.

"Do not run from what you fear!" Elle yelled. Jareth stopped abruptly, his back turned towards her. "Forget her; she lived her life the way _she_ saw fit. Don't begrudge her for that choice."

The Goblin King turned swiftly, anger upon his features, "Begrudge her? Do not _begrudge_ her?! She stole my heart then fed it to the wolves! I do not begrudge her, I _blame_ her for my misery! She left me alone here, my only chance of happiness, but she was too selfish to understand that," he finished. He seethed, rage emanating from him in waves.

Elle's temper was also beginning to rise, but she knew that losing it would ruin any chance of friendship with this infuriating man. "Alone?" she said quietly. "You said she left you here alone? No Jareth I am the one who was alone. I also was an unwanted child. Do you think I wanted to stay in that filthy rat hole? I had no choice. I had no family, no friends . . .no hope." For the second time in her recent memory, Elle felt tears prick behind her eyes.

"Elle, I was alo-"

"No Jareth, you weren't," she said, cutting him off. "What would you call Hoggle then? Or Ludo, or Didymus?" Jareth huffed cynically. Infuriated, Elle grabbed her book and old bag, preparing to storm away. The fountain pen that had been holding her page clattered to the floor, splattering the stones with dark ink stains. She brandished the book at him, "Why can you not see the people who care for you all around you . . . in front of you?" her anger slowly ebbing away, Elle attempted to pass him. He grabbed her wrist and took the book from her hands.

Color began to flush on her face as he turned to the pages she had been working on. "Don't," she said feebly. He ignored her, reading the new poems she had written. She put her face in her hands as he turned to the last page she had written on. On the yellowed page was a drawing of him, an uncanny resemblance. He was sitting on that very window ledge, looking out of it, a frown on his face. Next to the picture was another poem:

Why do you gaze out the window?

Your face, so forlorn,

What is it that you seek?

It is something far away,

A bird that flies just beyond your sight.

Why do I look out of the window?

What am I searching for?

My eyes are tired from looking.

It is for that bird, far away.

He flies too far for me to see.

If we are both searching for that bird,

Then let us search together.

Hope shall be our guide.

Yet I know I shall never find that bird,

Even though he stands beside me.

Jareth closed the book slowly, and gave it back to Elle. Her eyes were hollow with a weariness that transcended her years. Silently she took the book from him and placed it in her bag. For the first time, Jareth looked at her, truly looked at her. He took in her long face, her stubborn, and her impossibly curly hair. Her skin was fair, the dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks were much darker because of the pale shade of her skin. He remembered her spirit and her enthusiasm when she had run his Labyrinth, her stubborn attitude when he'd tried to send her back to the beginning, the way she'd fit in completely in the ballroom. He saw the magic she didn't even know that she possessed. He remembered her sad childhood, the way she'd looked at him from across the table, the way he'd felt when he danced with her . . .

Jareth offered his hand to Elle, and she looked up slowly, confused. "I want to know something," he said simply. "Dance with me." Tentatively, she took his hand as music wafted up to the tower room. It was a different song than she'd heard before, it was light and airy, like the sound the wind makes when it sighs through the trees.

"That's a beautiful song," she said quietly. "How do you do that?"

"I'm not doing it, Elle," he said, "You are." She closed her eyes as he rested a hand on her back and held her own hand firmly in his. She could hear it better now, it was music that reflected her alone, and she felt it deep in her soul.

Jareth could feel her probing her own soul, finding the magic within, and responding to their dance. He looked at her face, her eyes closed, head tilted in thought, and he knew . . . He stopped their dance, yet still she kept her eyes closed. He placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly in her ear, "Why can you never find your bird, Elle?"

She thought carefully, her eyes shut tight. "Because, he doesn't know I'm searching for him."

"Elle," said Jareth slowly, "Open your eyes." She obeyed. She looked into his odd eyes, and prayed for the words she wanted so desperately to hear. He rested his ungloved hands on her face. "Elle, you have found your bird, and I mine." Elle threw her arms about his neck and clung to him, sobbing with joy. She pulled away to look at his face and softly he kissed her. She had never been kissed before, but Elle knew that what she felt from head to toe was love, and she knew that he felt it too.

**Epilogue**

Jareth sat in his throne, watching his subjects. Ever since Elle had come, they's settled down, happy that their king finally had someone to care for him and for him to care for in return. He could see Sir sitting by Dydimus and Ludo, chatting away about the wonderful weather the Underground had been experiencing. And at his feet Tígöo and another goblin were playing a game that Elle had taught them, called marbles. The miniscule goblin had become so good at the game that other goblins were now taking lessons from him. No one called him Runt anymore; he had a new nickname now, Marble King.

The Goblin King steepled his hands, reflecting on that day in the tower so long ago, how such a small amount of time could change the course of an entire life. Almost as if she had read his thoughts (which privately he believed that she truly could) Elle came down the stairs slowly, trying to keep her balance.

Jareth's face lit with a silly smile as he strode quickly to meet his wife on the landing. He reached out and took the burden from her arms, chuckling as it gurgled grumpily. He looked at his small daughter, the spitting image of himself in miniature. She gazed up at him, a frown on her chubby face. He had awoken her from her nap. Almost immediately, she opened her mouth and screamed. Jareth had almost forgotten that all babies, no matter how adorable they were, did that.

He turned to find Elle perched on his own throne, leaning back, her eyes shut sleepily. "Why is it that you always have to sit in my chair? You do have one of your own now you know," he said rocking his daughter gently, trying desperately to lull her back to sleep..

"As the mother of your child, soon to be children," she said, patting her rounding stomach, "I have the right to rest my back in the more comfortable chair. My back can only take this much extra weight for only so long." He nodded his head in submission, owing to the fact that she had to be carrying at least ten pounds more weight than she was used to already.

"Well darling, could you at least put Deirdre back to sleep then. You always have so much more success at it than I do," he implored as his daughter wailed louder.

Elle threw her hands up in defense, "Oh no you don't mister fancy-pants. You woke her up, now you have to put her back to sleep. Them's the rules." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes once more, "Oh and it had better be soon, because Hoggle's coming to watch her and I don't want to foist a screaming baby on him. That wouldn't be fair now would it?" she asked, a mischievous note in her voice. Jareth grinned at her cunningly as he strode over to his chair. He sat next to his wife on the large seat, and in their adjustment trying to make themselves fit, Elle found herself with Deirdre in her arms again.

The moment she felt her mother's arms about her, the child silenced and closed her eyes. Elle glared back at her husband, who was looking at something out the window, the very image of innocence. "Oh you are gonna pay for that one later," she said maliciously. Jareth looked at her, grinning like a predator, "Oh I look forward to it, wife. Remember who you're dealing with . . ." his eyes flashed arrogantly as he bared his teeth in a wolfish grin. Elle chuckled softly as she leant against her husband's chest. And in that moment, life was perfect.

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone who's been following this story. I'm sorry it's taken so long to finish it, and I hope you can all forgive me. Hope you liked it!!!


End file.
